Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium: A Legacy of UMass Football
Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium, a 17,000-seat multipurpose stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts, has been the home of the UMass Minutemen football team since 1965, with the exception of the 2012 and 2013 seasons when the team played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
Origins and Construction
By 1960, the growth of the University and its burgeoning football program made the construction of a new sports facility a top priority. From the beginning, the stadium was conceived as a multi-purpose facility which could be used for other sports as well as for ceremonial occasions. The construction of Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, originally known as Alumni Stadium, began in response to the need for a modern facility to replace the aging Alumni Field on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. Groundbreaking occurred on August 27, 1964, with work commencing under the direction of the UMass Building Authority. The project was designed by the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, specifically by partner Gordon Bunshaft, and constructed by the H.P. Cummings Construction Company.
A sweeping concrete structure whose bold curves and open space express and exploit the vocabulary of its material, McGuirk Stadium was the first major concrete stadium to be built in the Northeast since 1920. The stadium was built at a total cost of $1.4 million, funded entirely by the university without drawing on state taxpayer resources, marking a significant investment in campus athletics infrastructure.
Located at 300 Stadium Drive in Hadley, Massachusetts-straddling the edge of the UMass Amherst campus-the facility featured a raised concrete design that was innovative for the region.
Opening and Dedication
Replacing Alumni Field, the stadium hosted its first game on September 25, 1965, with UMass beating American International College, 41-0. The stadium was officially dedicated on October 16, 1965, when UMass defeated Rhode Island, 30-7, in a homecoming contest. The first sellout came on November 6, 1965, as Massachusetts hosted Holy Cross in front of 17,400 spectators. On November 25, 1972, McGuirk held its largest attendance of 20,000 for the Massachusetts win over Boston College, 28-7. The most recent sellout at the stadium was on September 27, 2014, with a shootout loss against MAC foe Bowling Green, 47-42.
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Stadium Features and Dimensions
The playing field at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium adheres to standard NCAA football specifications, measuring 120 yards in length (including end zones) by 53.3 yards in width.
Early Years and Limited Upgrades
Following its construction in 1965, Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium experienced few major structural upgrades during the late 1960s through the 1990s, though it saw notable enhancements in the 2000s, including the installation of a FieldTurf synthetic playing surface in 2006 and a video scoreboard in 2009.
Transition to FBS and Renovations
UMass now plays in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). McGuirk Stadium's current capacity is only modestly above the NCAA's former requirement of 15,000 average attendance for FBS membership. On April 20, 2011, the school officially accepted an invitation to become a football-only member of the Division I FBS Mid-American Conference. Consequently, the 2011 season was the last at McGuirk Stadium before a major renovation project to upgrade it to FBS standards.
McGuirk Stadium was not considered suitable for FBS football, however. It would have been prohibitively difficult to meet the minimum FBS attendance of least 15,000 fans per game, and its press box and replay facilities were well below MAC standards. For the 2012 and 2013 seasons, the Minutemen played all of their home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, 95 miles (153 km) east of UMass on the other side of the state.
The north end has a new training facility and locker rooms added, called the Football Performance Center. The old press box was demolished, with a new box constructed to two levels with more TV and radio booths as well as luxury suites added. The cost of this construction was estimated at $20 million and was completed in time for the 2014 season at a cost of $34.5 million. Coaching staff and players took occupancy of the football performance center in July 2014. The deal with Gillette Stadium called for UMass to play several games per year in Foxborough from 2014 through 2016, and left open the possibility for some games to be played on campus at McGuirk Stadium. One of the main reasons for this deal was the MAC's TV contract with ESPN typically scheduled a handful of MAC games to be played on Tuesday nights in October and November.
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On September 14, 2012, the UMass trustees approved a five-year, $3.1 billion capital plan. The project team, consisting of Perkins+Will, UMass Athletics, UMass senior administration, and members of the Design & Construction Department, met over the course of four design charrettes to develop a series of improvement projects and build-out options for the existing stadium seating bowl and support facilities. The report was completed in the summer of 2013. Projects identified in the report included upgrading the existing stadium structure to improve accessibility; new restroom and concession areas support existing and increased seating capacities; addition of clubs and suites; south end zone seating; and the addition of an upper east grandstand seating structure. These improvements supported a stadium in the range of 30,000 - 35,000 seats.
Recent Enhancements
In May 2018, UMass received a $5.58 million pledge from alumnus Martin Jacobson to fund experiential improvements to the stadium. The pledge provides the support necessary to design and construct a seasonal air-supported indoor structure and contribute to a high-definition scoreboard at McGuirk Alumni Stadium, among other planned fan experience facility improvements. Lights were installed in the stadium for the 2008 football season, permitting UMass to play night games at home on a regular basis. The first game played under the permanent lights was the season opener on August 30, 2008, with UMass beating Albany 28-16. A video scoreboard was installed during the 2009 season.
A Look at the MAC and McGuirk's Place
But now that UMass will be playing the same group of teams year in and year out, there will be biennial trips to stadiums across the MAC. With four MAC road games on the 2025 slate, Minutemen fans will get a strong sense of the conference’s diverse football venues.
Compared to other stadiums in the MAC, McGuirk is modest in size and lacks a distinct identity. With aluminum bleachers on both sidelines and no permanent seating behind the end zones (save for a few tents with minimal seating underneath the large video board), the stadium has a rather bland layout. Upgrades were made in 2019 and 2022 and the turf was recently redone, and the Martin & Richard Jacobson Press and Skybox Complex provides a modern touch to the venue. While it lacks premium seating options or luxury amenities, McGuirk can hold its own in the MAC when it’s full.
- Dix Stadium - Kent State (Kent, Ohio) At first glance, Dix Stadium appears larger and more ambitious than McGuirk. Three grandstands stretch around the field - two on the sidelines and one in the north end zone. Dix once had aspirations to expand capacity to 50,000, though those plans never materialized.
- Kelly/Shorts Stadium - Central Michigan (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) The largest on-campus stadium in the MAC, it wraps nearly 360 degrees around the field in a true bowl-style layout.
- InfoCision Stadium - Akron (Akron, Ohio) It boasts 38 luxury suites, 522 club seats and several bars within its skybox complex. From a facilities standpoint, InfoCision clearly outclasses McGuirk.
- Peden Stadium - Ohio (Athens, Ohio) Peden blends old-school charm with consistent success.
Memorable Games and Moments
McGuirk Alumni Stadium has been the site of many memorable games and moments in UMass football history.
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Missouri’s visit to UMass is the undisputed most unlikely non-conference game this year by a fairly long shot; the match-up could possibly be in the running for unlikeliest over the last decade even. It’s not every day you get to see a ranked SEC school travel to McGuirk Alumni Stadium for the first time- or at all, really. UMass has “hosted” Power conference teams before, but the “host site” was Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts for obvious reasons. While Missouri’s visit is a generational event for UMass fans, the Minutemen have had multiple “big-time” opponents come to McGuirk during their FBS tenure.
Former Big East Schools
USF’s 2018 visit to UMass is often overlooked in both schools’ recent memory. UMass welcomed the 2005-2013 Big East member to McGuirk Alumni Stadium on October 6, 2018. USF was at its peak, winning 25 of their last 29 games, including 11-2 and 10-2 campaigns in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The Bulls hoped to continue its path to their first New Year’s Six Bowl ever with a 4-0 start coming into the game. The Bulls and Minutemen played a game for the ages. Andrew Ford, Ross Comis, and Michael Curtis combined for over 400 pass yards, but it was not enough to knock off the Bulls. Jordan Cronkrite’s 302 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries for USF gave UMass a 58-42 loss for the second straight week. Unfortunately, the points explosion drew a poor fan turnout. The 7,988 figure for this game was the lowest home turnout for UMass in 2018.
"UGame" Series
UMass’ games with longtime rival UConn are also important due to my criteria. The Huskies were Big East football members from 2004-2012. After UMass moved to FBS, the Huskies traveled to McGuirk Alumni Stadium in 2019, 2021, and 2023. UMass is 1-2 in these games, but the UConn game was the Minutemen’s most-attended home game in all three years.
BYU Visits
In 2018, 14,082 fans (including me) saw UMass quietly close the door on their short history at Gillette Stadium with a 35-16 loss to BYU. The Minutemen moved the last game in their contract with BYU to McGuirk Alumni Stadium in 2019. Like the USF game, BYU could not draw a solid turnout despite their national fanbase. Only 8,204 fans saw BYU easily defeat UMass 56-24, over 2,000 less than the total for UMass’ home game against Southern Illinois. The fans that did attend saw BYU race to a 49-0 halftime lead thanks to Zach Wilson’s 293 passing yards and four touchdowns and Cougar running back Jackson McChesney’s 228 yards on 15 carries. The two schools have not played since.
Battle of the Bay State
From 1966-1982, UMass and Boston College played yearly, with the Minutemen hosting the Eagles in even-numbered years. UMass hosted Boston College nine times in those years, winning twice, in 1972 and 1978, their last two wins in the series. In all, 12,118 fans saw Boston College defeat UMass in the first game in the series at McGuirk Alumni Stadium since 1982. Minutemen quarterback Brady Olson played admirably, throwing three touchdowns in a 45-28 loss to the Eagles. Surprisingly, more fans watched UMass host UConn than the UMass-BC game.
Service Academies
UMass hosted its first service academy when Army came to town in 2022. The visit was part of a yearly series dating back. UMass was supposed to host Army in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of that game. 10,119 fans saw the Black Knights run for 329 yards including 101 from quarterback Tyhier Tyler.
Other Uses
The stadium is also the site of UMass Amherst graduation ceremonies and hosted the 1987 NCAA women's soccer championship.
A Home Field Advantage
With a capacity of 17,000 fans, McGuirk Stadium has been a definite home-field advantage for UMass over the years, as the Minutemen have claimed 16 Yankee Conference or Atlantic 10 Conference titles since its opening.
Namesake
The stadium is named for Warren P. McGuirk, who was the UMass Athletic Director from 1948 to 1971, who was instrumental in its planning and development. Originally constructed as Alumni Stadium, it was renamed Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium in 1984 to honor Warren P. McGuirk.
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